I signed up, months ago, to receive information from The Authors Publish Magazine on line. I don’t think there was any cost to signing up, but I’ve been on their site for a fairly long time. They send out a lot of updates on which publishers are looking for what kinds of materials, and occasional other writing goodies. This week they offered a free pdf down-load for a book they’re calling The Authors Publish Compendium of Writing Prompts. I’ve already got my copy. It’s 148 pages with various sections: Regular Prompts, Classic Prompts, Prompts for Novelists, and Prompts for Groups — with each of the larger groups having a further break-down of topics. The only thing they wanted back was some information on errors, perceived problems in the book, suggestions of ways to improve the offering, etc., so they can revise and then offer it to the general public again.

For Carol (or any other teachers of writing) this might be a help when you’re looking for something new and fun

and QUICK to do with your writing classes.

And, for the rest of us, we can always use something to jolt us with a few new ideas — check it out and see if they still need some feedback! The more the merrier, I say!

Cheryl:

With a two-year-old in the house, I eat, breathe, and sleep Disney.

A SLEEPING BEAUTY story before naptime. TANGLED soundtrack in the car. Princess fruit snacks in the cupboard. And of course, FROZEN dialogue being thrown at me constantly.

So I find myself (unintentionally, I promise) writing Disney fan fiction. Who was Mother Gothel before the sun drop? Why did Ursula live in the castle once, and why did she have to leave? And my personal favorite, why was Hans bullied by his older brothers and how did that shape him into a sociopath?

I love that Disney has such fleshed out characters that every single one could fill an entire novel. Even if they only have a few lines, we understand them. They come to life on the screen.

Do your characters do that? Could your villain have a spin-off novel? What about your secondary characters? In real life, everyone has a story, even if only a few make the headlines. Our novels need to reflect that.

Me:

My newest novel, NEVER SAID, came out day before yesterday.

It’s always exciting when books are ‘born,’ always exciting when they show up at the house and I get to unpack a box and show them off to the family.

But what’s really cool this time was August 25 (the release date) was my beloved Aunt’s birthday. She died unexpectedly a few years back. I’ve thought of her often.

My aunt loved me through thick and thin–and I mean that. Our family was odd, at best. But she always stood by my side.

Life is all about the people we know. Isn’t that a part of why you write? To save people forever?

Bits of those we love can wind up in our characters. Aunt Linda informs every good female I write.

I wish she had known.

I wish I had told her.

NEVER SAID is dedicated to LuAnn Staheli. I was able to tell her, just before she died, that she was who I was thinking of as I finished that novel.